POMONA — A year ago at the NHRA Auto Club Finals, it was Rickie Jones who enjoyed the ride back on Parker Avenue to the winner’s circle on Sunday evening as the event’s Pro Stock winner.

He’s hoping for a repeat this Sunday at Auto Club Raceway at Fairplex, but in a different role. If he does, he’ll be celebrating as a co-crew chief for Erica Enders-Stevens’ historic achievement as the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series Pro Stock champion.

Enders-Stevens, who has been active in the sport for 22 years starting in Jr. Dragsters, is on the cusp of a historic event. Entering the 24th, and final, national event of the season, Enders-Stevens leads former class champion Jason Line by 19 points in essentially a two-driver competition.

Pro Stock has long been the male holdout as NHRA’s diversity spread. In the sanctioning body’s 63-year history, only 11 women have competed in the class and just six have won a national event. Since she started Pro Stock in 2004, Enders-Stevens has 11 victories, five this season.

It is indeed a breakthrough season for the 30-year-old from Houston now living in New Orleans. It speaks volumes for Elite Motorsports, which made a big move during the off-season when Jones moved from behind the wheel to under the hood helping his father Rick.

“We operate on half of the budget when I drove for Victor Cagnazzi for the last three years. We’re a small team running on a small budget, but we’ve been able to accomplish a lot of really cool stuff this year because of the people involved,” said Enders-Stevens, who regained the points lead with a win at Las Vegas two weeks ago. “They’re the most important part of the puzzle. (Team owner) Richard Freeman has assembled a tremendous group of people on and off the track.

“They’re talented on track, but they’re just great guys to the core.”

A winner at very level in which she has competed in, Enders-Stevens led the points race for 13 races this season. She has grown accustomed to the surroundings.

“I’d be lying if I said there wasn’t any pressure. There’s been pressure all year long,” she said. “My team has performed tremendously under it. My crew chiefs continue to give me a good race car week in, week out.

“This is the first time in my professional career that I have had such a solid group of guys that stands behind me and takes my back. That makes my job as a driver a lot easier. There’s not a whole lot of ego over there and nobody is pointing fingers, whether we shake or we lose on a hole-shot or a red light or whatever, it’s a team deal.”

She also credits her faith.

“I believe in my heart that God doesn’t give you what you can’t handle, but He also doesn’t put things in front of you if the time is not right,” she said. “It’s always in His time. I’ve trusted that, and it hasn’t been an easy road by any means.

“I’ve gone through not qualifying and driving a car that’s not competitive to being on the sidelines because of lack of sponsorship. I guess it would be easy to quit. But that’s not part of my vocabulary. I don’t know how to do that, and I have my dad (Greg) to thank for that, for instilling that in my sister (Courtney) and I.”

Enders-Stevens is also seeking to join Shirley Muldowney and Angelle Sampey in a short list of female NHRA champions. Muldowney won three Top Fuel dragster titles and 18 national events. Samprey, a neighbor of Enders-Stevens, also has three titles in Pro Stock Motorcycles and a record 41 national events wins.

“It’s certainly a huge feat to accomplish. I would have my name on a list with just Shirley and Angelle, two of my heroes, so to be able to have the opportunity to get it done is awesome in itself,” she said. “At the same time, I think any female racer will tell you that we just want to be looked at as a driver. The car doesn’t know the difference in gender, and it certainly doesn’t matter to me.

“I guess it would be very awesome to be able to make history and just show any other females that maybe even had a little bit of doubt that they weren’t capable or whatever, that I’m a perfect example of a normal kid through hard work and certainly surrounding myself with the right people and having such a solid support group, that anything is possible.

“My message to kids, especially young girls, is to dream big and never give up. Anything is possible if you set your mind to it. Surround yourself with the right people and work hard.”

Lou Brewster is a nationally recognized motorsports journalist who has staffed NASCAR and NHRA events since 1969. Has also staffed high school football, in five different states, since 1967. Has won several national awards in writing and breaking news.